In the Smithsonian Institute in Washington there is a diamond called the Hope Diamond. Many who have owned it have died mysteriously. 500 years ago a Hindu priest stole it from the forehead of an Indian temple idol. He was put to death for this crime. It fell into the possession of a Frenchman, Jean Baptiste Tal fernier, who was eventually torn to death by a pack of wild dogs. The diamond then fell into the hands of the French royal family. The Princess Lamballe was beaten to death by a mob. Marie Antoinette went to the guillotine. The next owner, Jacques Clot, went insane and killed himself. Its Russian owner, Prince Kalinowski gave it to his mistress, then murdered her. The museum contained specimens of zoology, botany, archaeology, fossils, etc., some of which were passed on to the Smithsonian Institution after its formation. The institute's charter expired in 1838, but its spirit lived on in the National Institution, founded in 1840. With the mission to "promote science and the useful arts, and to establish a national museum of natural history," this organisation continued to press Congress to establish a museum that would be structured in terms that were very similar to those finally incorporated into the founding of the Smithsonian Institution. Its work helped to develop an underlying philosophy that pushed for the pursuit and development of scientific knowledge that would benefit the nation and edify its citizens at the same time.